More evacuations possible in Northern California as rain continues to batter Sacramento area
This has been the wettest start to the year in the Sacramento area.
— -- Following years of drought, parts of Northern California have experienced a deluge of rain so far in 2017.
Heavy rains are expected throughout today in the region, before tapering to scattered showers overnight, according to ABC News meteorologists.
Around the area of the Oroville Dam, where residents were forced to evacuate last week following concerns that the structure could falter, 1 to 2 inches of rain were expected, and the area surrounding nearby mountains could get as much as 5 inches or more, meteorologists said.
The National Weather Service of Sacramento issued a warning, suggesting that evacuations could be possible in the region as a result of the storm.
"We could see flooding in areas that haven't flooded in a long time and there will be additional stress on levees, rivers, creeks and streams," the warning said.
Following the rain, wind gusts this evening and overnight could create downed trees, power lines, and power outages in some areas.
Weather warnings, if not flood warnings, have become a regular occurrence for a region that has been battered by storms this year.
This has been the wettest start to the year ever recorded in the Sacramento area -- which has now exceeded a foot above normal for rainfall since Oct. 1, 2016, according to ABC News' analysis.
Some residents of the region are preparing for the possibility of another evacuation of the region surrounding Oroville, according to the Sacramento Bee, but the water levels at the the dam have nevertheless been lowered to a safe level.
ABC News' Max Golembo and Daniel Peck contributed to this report.
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